Here. Zoom out if it is too close.
I’m living in Albuquerque, NM after six months of cycling from the last place I called home, Anchorage, AK.
gypsy by trade
Ridin' bikes and travelin' light.
Here. Zoom out if it is too close.
I’m living in Albuquerque, NM after six months of cycling from the last place I called home, Anchorage, AK.
Yo Nick!
Great to see pictures on the blog! Love it. Also glad to be able to “keep track” of you on your wanderings. Keep up the good fight.
Cheers,
Josh
Josh,
I’m gearing up to leave Grand Marais; visited my Tacoman/Minnesotan friend Lucy for a few days. Btw, we both have High Sierras and we spotted a few more about town, so it’s been a fulfilling few days in that regard. A few old Sierras always warm my heart.
I’m happy to offer some pics to provide context for my words, but the iPod (just bought iPod touch to replace the Droid) doesn’t do what the Droid did. It had 8.0mp and better software(?) to detect various light settings. The iPod is 5mp and really only does well in full light. That said, each medium has it’s merits…this one is small and capable of snapshots and some lo-fi artistry.
Let me see your Univega GT with new Pass Hunter rack. I think I’m going to start a page on here of bikes I like and bikes I’ve seen. I see some odd concoctions out there, and the occasional sweetie.
I ended up getting the “Canti. Mount Rack” for the GT and it works much better. Put the first rack I got on the 3 speed and it works great. I love rocking the small front racks.
I sent you some pics of the GT. Took em’ with my phone so I hope they are good enough for the blog.
Univega GT looks awesome. It’ll probably be up sometime next week. I thought I would be seeing more cool bikes, but the truth is you don’t see much of anything unless on an ACA route. I did see two High Sierras in Grand Marais, both ’84′s.
My GT is an ’82, Second production run according to the serial number. Fork mounts came standard in ’83 but they started incorporated them on the second production run in ’82.
Nykola,
Your travels are inspiring! Hope to see you through Central Coast again on your travels! I would like to pack up and go with you!
Always welcome. Anywhere between here and Mexico you can meet me with a bike, sleeping bag and a rain jacket.
Any plans on coming threw T-Town?
Fall/winter, maybe?
Hey Noah here from 2nd cycle. Been following your blog. We should catch up when you come into town. 253 495 0853. Let me know. Your always welcome to stay with me.
I’ve got a place to stay in town, but it would be great to catch up. Get together to help kids remove brakes off borrowed BMX bikes? Maybe some kind of ride/picnic/beer thing?
Nick,
Just checking in…. Funny since I’m the one at home.
Hope all is well and love to see the “bike Uv’ Glove” post. I have some but in neoprene for road bike bars. Way too hot if it’s over 30ยบ.
Seeing your supper fat tire bikes in the snow is cool. I’ve been riding the long bike with Fat Franks pumped down to 25psi here in T-Town with the snow and ice. Works well and I call in the poor man’s Pugsley. Mine are only 2.35″ wide but they do the trick.
Just harvested my first batch of home brew hard cider. Tastes great and at over 11% warms the soul. By the next time you are in Tacoma I’ll have at least a few varieties to choose from… If I don’t drink it all first.
Hung out with Alex last week at Jazz Bones for a jam night. He’s looking good but I told him he needs to eat more.
Cheers!
Josh
Can not thank you enough for the informative, well written blog (and links to others).
Armchair adventures are about the only thing
keeping me sane while i recover from rotator cuff surgery.
(yep, took a spill on my bike, funny thing -one does not bounce as good at 63 years old as one did at 33)
Keep up the great writing and photos!
Thanks for the support Dennis. I’ve only ever lost a few days off the bike due to injury, but I quickly miss the wind in my hair. I hope the cuff heals up soon. I’m headed to the Colorado Trail soon, and some challenging new adventures.
Great site and a good read, I will be back for more. Thank you for helping me today at Two Wheel Drive. I’m looking forward to getting on the road with my Surley Disc Trucker and racks. Look for me at CrazyGuyOnABike.com. Unleashed O/\O
Thanks James, I look forward to seeing your new DiscTrucker roll into action. Best of luck on your upcoming travels this spring. I’m only at TWD one day a week right now, but let me know if you need any help getting the touring rig rolling.
nicholas
I randomly came across your site while doing some Long Haul Trucker research.
Story:
Two weeks ago I saw you at Marble Brewing Co. while I was in ABQ. What caught my attention was the Cannondale Hooligan. Now I finally understand the reasoning for the tiny wheels! Super-clever. I was going to stop and ask you about it… but you were being harassed by a drunk guy, and also a dog.
Anyway, thanks for the information.
hey brother…
i’m a single trail/ casual xc rider right now and recently have been dreaming of long day and multi-day/ week long trips. i think i should note that i live in texas – south of dallas – so most of my riding would be on highway service roads, old country roads and the occasional crushed gravel, dry pack…
….so with your extensive knowledge and experience would you recommend a certain bike/ tires/ handlebars/ for me… i’m also extremely interested in bike packing. some friends and fellow riders have suggested everything from Surly LHT to early model Schwinn/ Raleigh/ Specialized models built up for touring. I’ve been looking at the Salsa Fargo, The Safari(?) from REi, Pugsley, an ’86 Schwinn High Sierra, LHT and my brain is about to explode with all the options so help me Gypsy Trader…you’re my only hope. I have really enjoyed your posts and feel like you are basically the bike Guru. Thanks for your time and energy-
-jake
You are certainly on the right track. I think those are all great options, each with a particular strength. If you aren’t trying to really build a dedicated mountain tourer (i.e. pavement and some dirt roads), the vintage ATB or Surly LHT would be great, as would the Novara Safari. The next best thing would be the Surly Ogre/Troll or the Salsa Fargo, both will happily play as typical commuters and tourers, but will accept a large volume 29″ tire, disc brakes, and racks and/or framebags. I would probably choose between the two options based upon how they are set-up out of the gat– the Ogre has an upright bar while the Fargo has a wide drop bar. Also, the Ogre is happier with a Rohloff or other IGH.
Now, if you really aspire to getting off the beaten path, there is the Pugsley…
Actually, with a fatbike you can always build a 29″ wheelset, in which case you can have something much like the Ogre or Fargo, and a fatbike all on one frame. This is much easier to do on a frame with a symmetrical 170 rear end, such as the Salsa Mukluk, as opposed to the offset system used on the Pugsley.
As for tires? Get big ones on whichever bike you choose, and go far. If you plan a lot of pavement, with some dirt roads go for a large volume slick like the Schwalbe Big Apple/Fat Frank/Big Ben, or the Rubena Cityhopper.
Hope that helps!
nicholas
Nick,
Great blog; found it while perusing the ‘Net for Pugsley info. Your use of 100mm forks and a dynohub set me on a search for a couple of the things…one to go with the ’13 I’m building and the other for a Pugsley for my wife. Who of course has yet to fully appreciate the concept of a wide-tire bike but I have a feeling that’s about to change.
Should you and Lael ever make it to northeast Ohio, look us up – we’ll show you some neat bikeways, many of which are rooted in area history…and the first round afterwards is on me.